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My name's Nicole - a Toronto-based makeup addict. Welcome to my corner of the web where I share my love & experiences with all kinds of beauty, makeup & skincare products. Head on over to my About Page to learn more about me.

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The Beauty Rundown | December 2016

Thursday, January 05, 2017

Seeing so many beauty bloggers claim how good this was, I decided to pick it up & try it for myself. This is the first cleansing balm I've ever tried, so I didn't know what to expect from it. I was pleasantly surprised upon first use when the balm pretty much dissolved all of my makeup and was easily washed off with water. With it's balmy texture, I was expecting my face to feel greasy or be left with a film, but that wasn't the case. When rinsed off, it gives me the feeling of freshness. My face looks like it doesn't have a trace of makeup on it, however I do like to go in with another cleanser to remove any makeup that the balm might have missed. Overall, I'm very impressed with this product & it quickly became a staple in my skincare routine.

I have been wanting to try this primer for the longest time and I finally picked it up during Sephora's VIB Sale back in November (see haul here). To be real, I've been using it non-stop for the past few weeks and have been loving it. It's been helping a lot to hydrate my skin during this brisk winter weather. Not only that, but it also makes a great base for my makeup. All I can say is that I love it. Do I love it more than the Hourglass primer? Probably not, but it will definitely be my go-to primer when my skin needs a little moisture boost. Another thing I love about it is the packaging. The fact that it comes with a pump, extra points in my books.

Taking a step back from the usual matte lipsticks I gravitate towards, I decided to snatch up this number. There was a ton of talk about them in the beauty blogger community around October or November, so of course I had to get it (bbloger logic). I opted for the shade Bound, which is a (no surprise here) rose pink. Before I get to talking about the actual product, can we just take a moment to appreciate the chic minimalistic packaging of Nars? Ugh, yes! - As for the lip product itself, it's nicely pigmented and extremely comfortable on the lips. I like that this is slightly moisturizing on my lips, unlike the matte liquid lipsticks that I've used non-stop. Since they're not matte and are more of a gloss, sadly the longevity is not the best. But since it isn't drying and doesn't leave my lips looking /feeling like the Sahara Desert, it's not a problem for me to reapply a few times throughout the day. All in all, it gets a big thumbs up from me.